Refrigerating apparatus



REFR IGERAT ING APPARATUS Filed March 5l, 1930 IN VENT OR BY www q ya@ ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 9, 19.32

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HRRY 1F. SMITH, OF DAYTON', OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO FRIGIDAIRE CORPORATION, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Application led 'March 31, 1930. Serial No. 440,497.

This invention relates to refrigerating ap paratus and particularly to valves used in such apparatus.

@ne ol the objects oi the invention is to provide an improved valve which is positive and reliable in' operation and simple and inerpensive to manufacture.

More specifically it is an object to pr0- vide a valve which is fluid-tight under relalll tively high pressure and which may be constructed without precise manufacturing or assembling operations.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reterence being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a prelt'erred term ci the present invention is clearly shown.

lin the drawings:

Fig. l is an end elevation ot a valve constructed in accordance with the present invention;

lilig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of lEig. l; ano im Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line Bl ol ldig. 2.

'lhe valve includes a cup-shaped body or base 'l0 which may be a lorging andwhich is adapted to be welded tothe end of a cylinim drical container l2 to iorm a closure for the `container. l passage let, surrounded by a valve seat lll, communicates with the interior oit the container through a duct i8 M which may be 'formed by drilling a hole from l are man@ @i at may Manny im@ are passage 'lll through a recess 20 and thereafter stopping the end ci this hole as by welding at rilhe passage lLi ailords communication between a connection or tube 23 and the con er l2. il cup-shaped diaphragm 2d is ed over the mouth otn the cup-shaped j "lll and may be provided lwith a pro on 22, :torming the valve proper., which i adapted to he closed against the seat lo bloclr 2t urged against the diaphragm by screw 28 threaded in the top 3U which is lded to the body l@ with the diaphragm. i top is provided with screw-threaded llll openings 36 which enable the valve and the container to be secured to any suitable support, if desired.

The seat 16 is preferably circular and the y projection 22 is therefore circular in crosssection in a plane parallel to the seat; for example the projection is preferably but not necessarily spherical. The diaphragm is constructed of a material having definite but low elasticity and a relatively high plasticity, the elasticity being sufficient to remove the diaphragm from the seat, when permitted by the screw 28, a distance sullicient to afford the full edective openingoof the passage 14, that is approximately one-tenthof the diameter of the opening. In other words, the motion of the projection 22 between full opening and positive closing of the valve occurs Wlthin the elastic limit of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is further designed to have high plasticity to permit the construction of the valve without requiring accurate manufacturing and assemblingl operations and to allow adjustment of the diaphragm after the valve is assembled. Should the valve be assembled with the diaphragm too far away from the seat the screw 28 is used to force the diaphragm against the seat. This will de form the diaphragm beyond its elastic limit and give it a new shape or set after which the diaphragm may beunseated by its own elasticity. Likewise should the valve be assemu bled with the diaphragm too close to the seat the screw 28 may be nnscrewed far enough to permit the diaphragm to be fully opened and the diaphragm may be forced away from the seat and given a new permanent set by pressure applied to its underside through the conduit 23.. Thereafter the diaphragm may be seated and unseated within its elastic limit. Soit steel such as is known in the trade as deep drawing steel is a suitable material tor the diaphragm.

ln order to prevent bulging ol the dia phragm between the valve proper and the peripher under the iniluence ot high presttt sure in the conduit 23 ll provide rigid bacln ing or thrust members fil). Preterably these members are substantially ot sector term and lie beneath a flange 42 on the pressure block 26 so as to follow the diaphra `1 t ttl 'till ably the members are so assembled that they are held against the edge 46 of the head 30 by the outer edge or cup-wall of the diaphragm and may pivot on this edge in their movement between the open and closed positions of the valve. When the valve is closed on its seat the thrust block 26 and the thrust members 40 form a rigid supporting surface which covers substantially the entire area of the diaphragm and thus prevents bulging of the diaphragm under pressure. It is desirable to prevent such bulging because the low elastic limit of the diaphragm would otherwise permit the valve, when in operation, to be given an undesirable set which mi ht even prevent the valve from opening.

referably the seat 16 is formed as a thin tube by cutting a circular groove 46 around the opening in the valve body so as to leave the tube, or else the -seat may be formed by inserting a Aseparate tube and securing it to the valve body .in any desired fluidtight manner. This thin-walled tube is deformable because of its elasticity and plasticity. Soft steel such as is used for the diaphragm may also be used to form the body 10 and valve seat 16. This deformable seat also aids ,in the construction of a valve which closes tightly but which does not require accurate operations either in finishing the seat or diaphragm. If the projection 22 is not perfectly circular or perfectly' smooth, or if the diaphragm is not accurately centered with respect to the sea-t, the projection deforms the tubular seat when forced against it by the screw so that the projection and seat accurately conform toleach other. Moreover, since the periphery of the diaphragm is fixed with relation to the seat, the same points on the diaphragm always contact with the same points on the seat. Therefore after the seat has once been deformed by the first seating of the valve, particularly if the seat is deformed beyond its elastic limit, the seat and valve always fit each other accurately. Consequently in operation the valve may be positively closed by slight force on the screw 28.

Wh1le the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A valve comprising in combination a deformable seat, a flexible diaphragm, and

means for holding the diaphra m against the seat to, deform the latter to e ect sealing contact with the diaphragm.

2. A valve comprising in combination a cause the diaphra deformable tube, a seat on the end of the tube, a flexible diaphragm including a projection adapted to enga e the end of the tube, and means for hol ing the projection against the seat to deform the tube.

,3. A valve comprising in combination a plastic tube, a seat on the end of the tube, a flexible diaphragm includin a projection adapted to engage the end 0% the tube, and means for holding the projection 'against the seat to deform the tube to effect sealing contact with the projection.

4. A valve comprising in combination a tube which is both plastic and elastic, a seat on the end of the tube, a fiexible diaphragm including a projection adapted to engage the end of the tube, and means for holding the projection against the seat to deform the tube to effectsealing Contact with the projection.

5. A valve comprising in combination a tube having a relatively low elastic limit and relatively high plasticity, a seat on the end of the tube, an elastic diaphragm including j a projection adapted to engage the end of the tube, and means for holding the projection against the seat to deform the latter to effeet sealing contact with the projection.

6. A valve comprising in combination a deformable circular seat, an elastic diaphragm including a substantially spherical projection adapted to engage the seat, and means for holding the projection against the seat to deform the latter to e'ect sealing contact with the projection."

7. A valve comprising in combination a seat, a diaphragm whose periphery is fixed with respect to the seat, said seat being located substantially opposite the center of the diaphragm, said diaphragm being both plastic and elastic, and means for deforming the diaphragm beyond its elastic limit to to fiow to compensate for irregularities 1n placing the diaphragm with respect to the seat.

8. A valve comprising in combination a seat, a diaphragm whose periphery is fixed with respect to the seat, said diaphragm having a relatively low elastic limit and a relatively high plasticity, and means for deforming the diaphragm beyond its elastic limit to cause the diaphragm to engage the seat, said diaphragm being thereafter adapted to disengage itself from the seat by its own elasticity when said means is removed, and said means being adapted to hold the diaphragm against its seat within its elastic limit thereafter.

9. The method of assembling and fitting a valve which comprises fixing the periphery of a plastic and elastic diaphragm with re-l spect to a seat, deforming the diaphragm beyond its elastic limit to cause the diaphragm to engage the seat thereby giving the diaphragm a desired shape and a desired position with relation to the'seat, said diaphragm thereafter adapted to 'move Within its elastic iimit to unseat the diaphragm.

10. A valve comprising in combination a iieriibie diaphragm fixed at its periphery, a valve seat substantially opposite the center oit the diaphragm, a rigid thrust member tor holding the center of the diaphragm against the seat and rigid thrust members eX- tending from said first mentioned thrust M3" member to points adjacent the periphery of the diaphragrn said second mentioned thrust members being pivoted adjacent the periphery of the diaphragm.

iin testimony whereof I hereto affix my w signature.

HARRY iF. SMXTH. 

